Process for registering color plates



Oct. 21, 1952 G. c. MURPHY 2,614,491

PROCESS FOR REGISTERING COLOR PLATES Filed Nov. 27, 1948 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 EXLE Q) DELICIOUS DELICIOUS I3 V l2 l3 l2,

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INvENToR, G- LaER-r C. MURPH flTTORNEY.

Oct. 21, 1952 c, MURPHY 2,614,491

I PROCESS F OR REGISTERING COLOR PLATES Filed NOV. 27, 1948 2 SI'IEETSSI'1EET 2 "wil umnmllllllh Iuvznron,

. E Guasnr C. MURPHY 15y Mam, HTTORNE).

the' yellow plate is to be made;

aflplate l1. 7 on thesheet Hi to be exactly paralleland spaced Patented, Oct. 21, 1952 .PB O CESS REGISTERING COLOR PLATES I GilbertC. Murphy, Indianapolis, Ind. Application November 27, 1948, Serial No, 62,296

This invention relates to a 'processior reproducing in colors a predetermined copy whereby all"of the colors will be perfectly registered. A primary purpose of the invention is to provide a process which will insure the perfect registration of multi-color printing plates, particularly where those plates have rubber printing suriaces. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those versed in the art in the 'following description of one particular form of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a cylinder to which one of the plates of the various colors have been applied;

Fig. 2, a top plan view of copy which is to be reproduced in the printing process;

Fig. 3, a view of a sheet from which the black plate is to be made;

Fig. 4, atop plan view of a sheet from which Fig. 5, a top plan view of a sheet from which the blue plate is to be made; and v Fig. 6, a top plan view of a sheet from'which the red plate is to be made. The various colors mentioned in referred to.

. the viewsin the drawings, have been selected as an example only, since other colors mayequally well be employed, depending upon the final result to be secured in the; printing operation.

Referring to Fig. 2, therein is shown a sheet icon which is layed out copy by the artist, this copy originally being drawn up in black ink.

This copy shows the two words respectively at the top and bottom, Extra! and Delicious,

.with the'representation of a peach and a leaf Now at the top and I in between those two words. bottom of the sheet there is placed in a very definite location respectively top and bottom strips H and I2, each of these strips having a series of regularly spaced apart holes l3 therethrough. The purpose of the holes I3 is to provide a contrasting color in respect to the tape H and the sheet l0. Where the tape H or I 2 as the case may be is made in black, then the white color 'of the sheet II! will show through the holes l3. If the strip l l or the strip I2 is to be made outof 2 Claims. (Cl. 101-211 H white material for example, then instead of the choles I3, black dots at those same locations may be employed.

Now the vertical spacing apart of these two Fig. 1, between the transverse lines centered on the attaching screws l5 and [6 at the two ends of The strips H and 1|2 are-laid out exactly that distance apart as indicated. Furthermore the transverse spacing apart of the holes or indications I3 is made to equal exactly strips H and I2 is made to be the exact length -of a circumferential line around the cylinder M,

the spacing 'from center to center of adjacent screws l5 or IB as the case may be. i

Now to prepare the different color plates, the artist will prepare the separate plates orsheets for the color selected as above indicated. fAs indicated in Fig. 3, for the black color plate','there will be placed on a sheet or plate [8, the p'ortions of the copy which are to be in blackin-thefinal printing operation. In the present instance, the black portions will consist of the word Extra, the word Delicious and the veins [9 which will be reproduced on the leaf 20 in the original copy on the sheet 10. Most importantly, the two strips II and [2 will be reproduced onythisfsheet l8 in exactly thesam-e spacing apartasindi cated in respect to the sheet In. =1 l In Fig. 4, only that portion of'theicopyis reproduced on a sheet 2| which willappear as the yellow portion in the finished printing. "In" this regard, the sheet 2| not, only provi'desi'for the yellow coloring'on the upper portion Ofthe' peach 22 on the original copy 10, but also provides-one of the two colors (yellow plus blue) to make the green leaf and stem. Again on sheet 2| the r strips II and [2 appear to havethe exact spacings as above indicated. v r

Fig. 5 illustrates a sheet 22 for the blue color plate, the blue being employedinthis instance to cover over the yellow to form the green finished color in the printing operationgin this instance the blue plate being applied to the leaf and stem portion onlyof the copy on the sheet 10. Again the strips H and I2 appear on the sheet 22 to be in the same spacing asabove indicated. Referring to Fig. 6, this sheet 23- isthe sheet for the red color copy,andit' has the portion of the peach 22 thereon'whichwill beiprinted red. Then the strips H and I2 will appear on the sheet 23 in exactly the same spacing as above indicated. I

Now from the sheets 18, 2|, zaps-e23, the various rubber printing plates are reproduced so that all of these individual plates made ,from such copy will carry the reproductionsl o ffthe strips or tapes [I and [2 in exactly the same spacing apart relation as above described. In this regard, while it was indicated above that the sheets made from the original sheet .llfl will have the tapes: II and I2 spaced in exactly that distance apart which equals to the circumferential line between the centers of the screws 15 and 16, Fig. 1', and also that the spacing laterally apart of'the holes l3, will equal the spacing apart of the screws l5, it is obviously true that this spacing may not be exactly those dimensions, but they will be made in' exactly those relationswhereby uponv reproducing the various sheets, onto the rubber plates, those elements, particularly the holes l3, will come to that exact 3 spacing as is required to fit the plate on the cylinder H.

The copy carried on the various sheets l8, 2|, 22, and 23, having been reproduced upon the plates will then have those holes I3 located to register exactly one with the other, and to register with the holes for the screws 15 and IS on the printing cylinder [4. In this regard, as is well known to those versed in the art, the printing plate I! will be made out of metal or other suitable media, such as an impregnatedcloth of a non-stretchable nature, whereas the printing surfaces such as the letters in Fig.1 indicated by the numeral 24, will be made out of rubber, this rubber having been previously vulcanized to or caused to adhereto the backing plate Thus the plate I! may be secured to the cylinder I4 by the screws l5 and I6, one set of which, screws IS in the present showing, may

.be attached to a part of the cylinder 26 which is movable in order to stretch the plate I! tightly vand snugly around the cylinder M in any one of the usual and well known maners. The plate I! illustrated in Fig. 1, is the black color plate. The other plates made from the sheets 2 I, 22, 23, may be applied to the cylinder M in the proper sequence to obtain the desired printing in the different operations of the cylinder I4.

One of the advantages of the invention lies in the fact that in making up the various sheets or plates l8, 2|, 22, and 23, only one negative need ,be made of the original copy in, and then this same negative is used to reproduce the copy on each of the separate plates, all as set out on pages231-233 in the book, Commercial Engraving and Printing, by Hackleman, 1921, published by Commercial Engraving Publishing Company, Indianapolis, Indiana. This process insures that no error can be made or introduced as between thereproductions on the separate plates, because only the one negative is employed, and this negative carries the punch centering circles which define the final etched holes into which the drill or punch is accurately centered for the plate alignment on the cylinder of the press. That is, the tape is reproduced on each of the plates I8, 2|, 22, and 23 with the locating circles, and these circles show up after etching as depressions and not as raised, type high marks,

but as countersinks I3. These countersinks serve I to locate the punches which cut through the f nalrubber type plates to form the holes which accurately locate the individual plates on the press cylinder with no bumping or other make ready being required for color registry, v

By employing the process indicatedinthe foregoing description, it is to beseen that the "holes |3 on the variouscolorsheets and consequently on the various color plates will belocatedin the exact registry and therefore no make ready is required in placing the plates upon the printing cylinder. Incidentally, the locations of the spots or holes |3 on the plates willindicate the locations of holes to bebored or punched through vthe finished plate so that the screws i5 .and it may be passed therethrough. Normally after the copy from the various sheets [8, 2|, 22, and-23 has been reproduced on the plates photographically, then the border lines 2"! will be omitted unless they are to be carried in black, in which case the border 21 on sheet |8 will be left While the other portions will be removed.

Therefore it is to be seen that I have provided an exceedingly simple, yet foolproof process for predetermining registry of a number of plates required to be registered in a printing process to print a completed color job wherein multicolors are to be used. While the process has been described in the one particular manner, it is obvious that certain details thereof may be varied such as in the sequence of arranging the various copy sheets, and of course in the color selected, all without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not desire to .be limited to that precise form beyond the limitations which may be required by the following claims.

vI claim:

1. In a method for automatically registering a plurality of printing plates in sequence on a printing press cylinder which carries members 'for passing through .ends of the plates to-secure the plates on the-cylinder, those steps of marking a tape with punch spots spaced apart in accordance with the spacing of the said carrying members across the cylinder; placing a length of .the tape across and securing it to an end portion of the copy layout sheet; placing asecond length of the tape across the opposite end portion of the sheet; the spacing apart of the two tape lengths being such that the spots thereon are spaced from tape to tape exactly the distance circumferentially of the cylinder between said cylinder plate carrying members; photographically-making a negative of the copy including said tapes; photographically reproducing the negative on as many plates as there are color plates required; and etching the plates to cause the tape spots to appear as countersinks.

2. A method for securing accuracy of registration of a plurality of plates on apress cylinder which carries a plurality of plate engaging pins at fixed points thereacross, which method comprises those steps of preparing a master layout copy; affixing a tape across said layout to one side thereof on the face of the copy; affix-inga second tape across the face of the copylayout-at its opposite side; said tapes each having punch marks spaced therealong to match the spacing of said pins; and said tapes being spaced apart across the layout face to have said marksalso spacedin accordance with the circumferential distance betweensaid pins aroundsaid cylinder; said marks being of that contrast with the face of said layout so as to etch outas countersinks on the plates.

- GILBERT C. MURPHY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS OTHER REFERENCES Commercial Engraving and Printing by Hackleman, 1921; published by Commercial Engraving Publishing Company, Indianapolis, Ind.; page 291. 

